Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
they would be unsure how to handle exercise regressions with the patient group ; this may be resolved within future student groups via offered redacted former patient notes , offering reality to the experience while protecting identity . Reviewing overall marks , the virtual placement outscored their cohort of the previous year ( 93.9 % vs 86 %). Therefore , assuring the students issues around marking and attaining learning outcomes are crucial to the integrity of future placements .
As much as the students enjoyed the experience and found it relevant to their practice , two students strongly stated they would not wish virtual placements to continue post COVID- 19 , suggesting virtual placements do not prepare students for hands-on clinical skills . Further comments alluded that the placement may not be suitable for their initial practice experience , as this is the first experience many students have with patients and clinical care , therefore , not preparing them for experiences of hands-on patient care . Conversely , Stout et al ( 2021 ) suggests clinical skills can be developed within virtual placements ; future studies within CR may benefit from quantifiable measures of changes in clinical skill level . This was interesting as the initial questionnaire did not suggest a lack of clinical skills development . Additionally , building extra time to alter goals may be of benefit , as students stated the need to adapt to the altered ideals and surrounds of the virtual placement world .
Conclusions
The experience was generally positive for all ; however , there are still areas to develop and as a student and clinician group we need to meet the needs of the post COVID-19 world and the potential that patients prefer online clinical options ( Bryant et al . 2020 ). The ever-growing need for clinical placement in health practice ( Romig et al ., 2017 ; McBride et al ., 2018 ), may also find solutions from the virtual peer led placements . However , as students within this group have stated , this approach should be used in conjunction with traditional placements and not in lieu of . The true benefit may be within higher educational practice of other professions , especially ones who do not have professional body registration enforcing practice hours ( e . g . Exercise Physiologists and Sports Therapists ), but which would still benefit from contact with clinicians . With increasing difficulty in funding placements , the need for exposure to qualified clinicians is essential to building skill sets .
Acknowledgements
References
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McBride , L ., Fitzgerald , C ., Costello , C ., Perkins , K . ( 2018 ) Allied health pre-entry student clinical placement capacity : can it be sustained ? Australian Health Review , 44 ( 1 ), 39-46 .
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Romig , B . T . -M. ( 2017 ) Practice education : a snapshot from Australian university programmes . Australian Occupational Therapy Journal , 64 , 159-169 .
Salter , C ., Oates , K ., Swanson , C ., Bourke ., L . ( 2020 ) Working remotely : Innovative allied health placements in response to COVID-19 . International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning , Special Issue , 21 ( 5 ), 587-600 .
Thank you to the wider Cardiac Rehabilitation Team for their patience and understanding in accommodating many online students .
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